The NGO Human Rights Watch, HRW, once again called on the President-elect of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to promote a human rights agenda worldwide. independent of ideologies.
“Lula will have many avenues for a coherent defense of human rights, starting with the region,” said HRW, a civil society organization that made a similar request in November.
For example in The saviour, President Nayib Bukele “has weakened the institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law”. And in Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cubaauthorities are “systematically imprisoning” protesters and political rivals “after eliminating the independence of the judiciary and the participation of civil society”.
“Brazil’s constitution requires human rights to be at the heart of foreign policy. That means standing up for rights consistently, regardless of the ideology of a particular government,” stressed HRW.
The organization recalled that President Jair Bolsonaro harshly criticized Venezuela and Cuba, but applauded other leaders with clear authoritarian tendencies, “from Russia’s Vladimir Putin to Hungary’s Viktor Orban and the United States’ Donald Trump.”
During his presidency from 2003 to 2010, then-President Lula da Silva was criticized for allowing ideological affiliations to stand in the way of addressing gross human rights abuses. “He was silent for a while, for example Hugo Chavez gradually undermining democracy in Venezuela.”
Human Rights Watch believes that now, in his third term, Lula needs to change: “He needs to act and speak up to protect democracy and rights, regardless of his ideological affinity.”
In this regard, he pointed out that other governments in the region are taking the impartial approach that the Lula government should be taking. Chilean President Gabriel Boric “has repeatedly condemned the left’s double standards on human rights in Latin America. Officials around the world have praised him for leading a feminist and environmentally conscious foreign policy.”
“Brazil would do well to follow him on both counts, to criticize human rights abuses wherever they occur, to promote women to the foreign ministry and other senior positions, and to ratify the Escazú Convention protecting forest defenders,” he told HRW.
It is expected that Lula will try to restore diplomatic relations with him Venezuelabut “it must take steps to ensure that that recognition is matched by advances in Human rights and free and fair electionsadded Human Rights Watch.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will take power in Brazil after defeating Bolsonaro in the second round of presidential elections on January 1.